After 50 years of neglect, a treasured heritage building in Jesmond Dene, a public park in Newcastle upon Tyne, is coming back to life.
The Banqueting Hall, as it is known, was given to the people, along with the Dene itself, in 1883, by Newcastle’s generous benefactor Sir William Armstrong. A century later, the roof of the original structure – the Dobson Hall – was removed, but other parts of the building remained intact.
The Banqueting Hall has been facing an increasingly uncertain fate, in spite of valiant efforts to maintain its fabric by a group of artists who have occupied the building for four decades.
Now, the Armstrong Project CIO has been set up to secure an exciting future for the Hall as a place of learning and discovery that will be open to everyone.
Grants for development work have already been pledged by the Barbour Foundation, the Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) and the Reece Foundation, and talks are taking place with Historic England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The trustees invite you to share practical and visionary ideas as the project evolves. In the meantime, preliminary work is being carried out by groups of volunteers to clear vegetation from around the building.
October 2025: In a joint venture between The Armstrong Project and Newcastle City Council, volunteer groups clear the area around the Banqueting Hall and its approaches.
Cragside features on Christmas television
Support builds for
The Armstrong Project
Cragside, William and Margaret Armstrongs’ home in Northumberland, takes pride of place in BBC TV’s Christmas Secrets of the National Trust – along with Cotehele in Cornwall and Coleton Fishacre in Devon.
The programme will be broadcast on BBC2 on Friday, 19 December (9pm); Tuesday, 23 December (2pm); 24 December (3.05am); and on iPlayer.
This is what the BBC has to say about the programme: ‘It’s Christmas at the National Trust as houses across the country get ready for the most magical time of the year. As the countdown to Christmas begins, the teams at three National Trust houses race against the clock to deck their halls in time for three spectacular festive openings, each with a different theme.
‘High up on the Northumberland moors is Cragside, a Victorian arts and crafts mansion. Each year, the team takes inspiration from their history to prepare a magical festive experience for visitors, and this time they are getting set to present the Servants’ Ball – traditionally the one night of the year when the servants were allowed the run of the house.’
Not to be missed!
Cragside has the world’s tallest planted Christmas tree – at 44.7 metres. It is a Giant Redwood festooned with 1,300 lights.
Lit & Phil bicentenary in its magnificent library building
Down on the farm: pioneering hydraulics at Cragend
Armstrong crane in Venice: work starts on restoration
In the media
See Eddy Hope’s take on Jesmond Dene in Tyneside Life
Lit & Phil reaches a milestone. The view from The Yard
Listen to Henrietta Heald talking to Lucinda Hawksley on Inside Story
Experience Jesmond Dene in the 1950s. Watch the film here
Discover Armstrong’s Elswick Works in World War One. Learn more
Armstrong and shipbuilding: an article in Maritime Foundation
‘Armstrong’s Admirable Speech’, as Charles Darwin called it, was delivered in 1863 to the British Association for the Advancement of Science. It was re-enacted 150 years later at the British Science Festival, with Chris Connell in the role of Armstrong, and introduced by Chi Onwurah MP .
With more that 50 five-star reviews on Amazon, William Armstrong, Magician of the North is also available from Waterstones, Bookshop.org, Booksetc. and other online outlets.
‘The tendency of progress is to quicken progress … We may expect therefore to increase our speed as we struggle forward; but however high we climb in the pursuit of knowledge we shall still see heights above us, and the more conscious we shall be of the immensity that lies beyond.’
Armstrong’s Admirable Speech, 1863
‘They used to call me the Kingfisher.’